Season's readings ... in science

Giving someone a book about science is like running an experiment. You construct a hypothesis by trying to figure out what interests the prospective recipient, test the hypothesis with the gift book, and then find out whether the book takes an honored place on the reading table — or gathers dust on the shelf.

To maximize your chances of success, consider the setting for the experiment. Is the book destined for the coffee table, the library table, or the kids' table? If it's the coffee table, make sure that the pictures are big and beautiful. For the library table, you want a well-told story. And the best books for the kids' table are fun as well as factual.

I've gone through my own book pile as well as end-of-the-year reviews to come up with five books for each of those types of tables, plus a few pointers to alternate selections. In each category, I've tried to cover a wide spread of topics — to maximize the chances that the experiment will be successful. Who knows? You may even want to run an experiment or two on yourself:

The Human Face of Big Data, by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt: The photographers behind the "Day in the Life" art-book series look at how networks and data are transforming our world. Want to go beyond the printed page? Of course you know there's an app for that. Check out the press kit. (Against All Odds, $50).

Vendome Press

"Royal Cities of the Ancient Maya"

Royal Cities of the Ancient Maya, by Michael D. Coe and Barry Brukoff: Just in time for the Maya non-apocalypse, a Yale anthropologist (Coe) and an award-winning photographer (Brukoff) team up to produce a beautiful book that provides a wide-angle view of the ancient Mesoamerican culture and its art. (Vendome Press, $50).

For the library table:

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, by David Quammen. A science reporter travels the world to track down how diseases make the jump from animal species to humans, causing diseases ranging from AIDS and SARS to Ebola and Lyme disease. In the process, Quammen raises disturbing questions about the Next Big One (W.W. Norton, $28.95). Alternate selection: "Zoobiquity."

Life's Ratchet: How Molecular Machines Extract Order From Chaos, by Peter M. Hoffmann: The world is getting smaller and smaller thanks to nanotechnology. Hoffmann, a physics professor at Wayne State University, delves into the nano-nexus of chemistry, engineering and biology. How does all that molecular machinery give rise to life itself? Brace yourself for some unconventional answers (Basic Books, $27.99).

Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas, by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm: Is it possible to do a book about phytoplankton for elementary-school kids? You bet. "Ocean Sunlight" explains how tiny ocean plants support a food chain that leads up to giant whales as well as us humans. It's one of the finalists in the 2013 Science Books and Film Prizes competition, sponsored by Subaru and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Scholastic, ages 4 and up, $18.99).

Animal Grossapedia, by Melissa Stewart: This is one of the "outstanding science trade books" published in 2012 for K-12 students, according to the National Science Teachers Association. "Just gross enough that children will read it, with a good variety of examples and nice focus on vocabulary," the NSTA says (Scholastic, ages 8 to 12, $8.99). Check out the rest of the NSTA's picks. Alternate selection: "Grossopedia," yet to be published.

Big Questions From Little People, and Simple Answers from Great Minds, by Gemma Elwin Harris: Do animals have feelings? Why can't I tickle myself? Harris has gathered up 100 questions from grade-school kids — and enlisted luminaries such as author Mary Roach, biologist Richard Dawkins, chef Gordon Ramsay and linguist Noam Chomsky to serve up the answers. To tell the truth, this book is directed as much at big people as it is at little people (Harper Collins, age 9-ish and up, $24.99).

What's on your reading table? What would you like to get (or give) this holiday season? Share your faves in a comment below, or on the Cosmic Log Facebook page. And for still more book suggestions, check out the Cosmic Log backlist: